Walk in Joy, not Fear
Sunday I shared how Christians should think about politics and the election. I talked about it because Peter talked about it in 1 Peter 2:13-17, our scheduled sermon passage for the week. God’s timing is perfect! One challenge we all face in this world is being overwhelmed by the depths of depravity we often see, especially in some news reports about people like Jeffrey Epstein and P.Diddy. It’s hard to imagine there are people out there living their lives in absolute contradiction to Christ, people propagating evil at every turn.
As bad as things are now, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually been worse. In fact, it only took a few pages of the Bible for things to seem utterly irredeemable. Genesis 5:5-7 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land…’”
How did things go so quickly from the delight of the garden to the depths of depravity? It seems that anyone reading the Bible would lose all hope at this point. But the very next verse (v8) gives a glimmer of hope: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” In the midst of utter decay, God found one faithful man to be the one through whom He would rescue and restore the world.
And so for the next one hundred years Noah built a boat that would be a vessel of rescue. I’m guessing here, but I have to think that throughout that time he was also preaching to the rest of the world, “Repent! God’s judgment is coming!” The ark serves as a picture of God providing the means of escaping His wrath. He gave them one hundred years to repent and correct their path! God is “Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8) Christopher Watkin said, “The waters that drowned the human race were also the waters that floated the ark and saved Noah and his family: judgment and grace flow from the same source.” (p.202)
What does all this mean for us? Don’t let the news of the depravity of this world, even though it is real; don’t let that cause you to despair. We should pray for God’s judgment to come upon the evil of this world, yet also we should walk in hope, not in fear. God is still in control. Even when the emperor is a lunatic (Nero) and the governor allows clear injustice (Pilate), Peter still proclaimed that we can fear God and trust He is in control.
If you find yourself being stifled by fear this week and leading up to the election, write out the creed of 1 Peter 2:17, and put it on your mirror or dashboard, or on the back of your phone and repeat it often. “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, Honor the Emperor.” At the center of this creed is the fear of God, not the fear of man. And the more we learn to walk in the fear of God in this politically charged season, the more we grow in our ability to proclaim the hope of Christ all across the South End of Louisville!
Photo by Edmond Dantès